Wishes and Gifts
by st4r-pl314d3s
Summary: every birthday is special and you are never too old to celebrate


Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Tomo Takabayashi and various publishers and studios. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Rating: PG or teen

Pairing: Yuuri/Wolfram

Summary: every birthday is special and you are never too old to celebrate

Note : This is my entry for fanfic100 prompt 91: birthday

**Wishes and Gifts**

All Wolfram could remember from his third birthday was a bunch of disjointed images and sounds. There was one with his mother, hugging him tightly and another, with Gwendal, smiling like he never did anymore. There was also one with Conrad and he perched on his lap.

Sometimes, if he concentrated hard enough, he could even remember a man with laughing eyes in blue uniform, ruffling his hairs and calling him Wolfie.

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In her fifth birthday, Gwendal gave him his first knitted toy. A bear, Gwendal said, before to his embarrassment, Wolfram decided to name it mr. puppy.

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When he was nine years old, Wolfram spent most of his spare time sitting in the lowest step of palace's entrance stair, watching his brothers dueled. His hands itched to touch their swords, especially when sunshine hit them and made them sparkling. They seemed so grown up, every bit soldiers and Wolfram could feel a tiny jealousy in his heart.

He cajoled and bullied them to let him try. Gwendal gave him a long lecture about his age and danger. Conrad only smiled. But that year, he found a wooden sword on his pile of gifts. Conrad taught him how to use it every evening since and sometimes, when he could escape from his lessons, Gwendal would join them.

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Collecting the others gifts in his arms, Wolfram purposely ignored the silver box left on the table, just like he paid no regard to Sir Weller sad, patient eyes. He had unwrapped gifts from everybody else, which mean this one must be from him.

He hated the liar. He was half human and there was no doubt that human was inferior, since they died sooner. They were also selfish. It was easy for them, being dead and all. They did not spare a thought for those who were left behind. He could still remember his mother crying for that man and the way they looked, standing side by side – that man, old and wrinkled, and she, beautiful and lively.

But when the clock stroke one and most occupants of the castle were deep asleep, there was a shadow crept into the dining room. He opened the door carefully, snatched the lone gift on the table and ran away.

In the morning, the maids thought the morning guards have taken it and the rest of the castle believed the maids have cleared it out. But Conrad Weller knew better.

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"No! I don't want a party,"

"But Wolfram, it is not every year you will turn fifty," Cheri whined.

"Exactly mother, I am too old for birthday party,"

They had had this conversation for the last ten years. He did not keep hope anymore that one day his mother would give up on the topic.

"Nonsense! How can you be too old for a birthday party? It will be grand, I promised. Maybe we will make it a custom ball. It will be romantic. I am sure you will get a lot of suitors," Cheri continued, regardless of her son protestation.

"No, mother. No party," Wolfram said, barely scrapping enough patience.

"You are no fun, Wolfram," Cheri pouted. "Can't you humor your poor mother? You are my youngest. If I can't plan a party for your birthday, then who can I plan for?"

"No is still no, Mother,"

Honestly, he was fifty, not five. Parties and gifts were for kids, just like bedtime stories and birthday wishes.

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Wolfram gave a relief sigh. There was nobody in the kitchen. The war has brought an empty feeling to the palace. It was not a comfortable silent but an eerie one, filled with foreboding thoughts. Still, the kitchen usually was quite crowded and it paid to be careful, else someone would find him.

Casting a quick glance to make sure nobody followed him, he closed the door quietly. There were, he was sure, some leftover cakes from dinner on the cupboard. The maids would not notice if he took a slice. Even if they did, they would chalk it up to Gunter, who was known to come raiding the kitchen for midnight snacks now and then.

Locating the candle proved to be more difficult, but finally he found one which was small enough for the cake. At least, he could produce the fire himself.

He put the cake and its lit up candle on the table and glanced to the old clock above the door. It was two to twelve. One hundred and twenty seconds to his birthday.

When its hands stroke twelve, Wolfram closed his eyes and did something he has stopped doing for years.

'Let them come back safely from the war, both of them. Please, don't let them die,' He thought, before blowing the candle.

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Generally, Wolfram preferred to think of the wish making he did almost twenty years ago as a onetime deal. He never planned to do it again, even if it did come true.

He glanced to Gwendal. His oldest brother has taken the worst brunt of their mother's resignation. He ate at his office and more than once he found Gwendal felt asleep there. He used to laugh at Anissina's crazy ideas but now all he did was scowling.

Secretly this time, he watched Sir Weller. He rarely spent the time at the palace after the war. Sometimes, Wolfram wondered whether it was because of the added military burden since Gwendal has taken to spend more and more time in politic or because of Julia's ghost. Or maybe, it was the war itself. When he came back to the castle, he has changed a lot. Then, he would scold himself for caring. Sir Weller was, after all, half human.

Then there was his mother. She seemed as carefree and cheerful as ever, but he has more than once caught her staring into the air, lost in her own thoughts.

People have talked of him being selfish. It did not mean he was blind.

He looked down on his cake. He has said no party, but he did not have the heart to refuse his mother the cake.

Sir Weller has said that Shin-ou has appointed a new maou. He closed his eyes and took a breath. He hoped the new maou would be a mazoku who understood their politics and cultures, someone who could take Gwendal's burden. He wished he would be a good soldier, who could protect Shin Makoku, especially from those humans.

'I hope the new maou would make everything all right,'

Wolfram blew his candles.

The day he met Yuuri, Wolfram decided that birthday's wish was nothing more than fairytales.

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Wolfram knew he was eighty three and he did not celebrate birthdays anymore, but it would be nice if Yuuri noticed. After all, Yuuri was the one who threw Sir Weller a surprise party on his birthday and bought Gunter a set of pens. Besides, he was Yuuri's fiancé. Fiancé supposed to notice things like this.

"Come on Wolfram, don't be ridiculous. I just said hi to the maid,"

"Don't make excuses!" Wolfram snapped "I knew you can't be left alone,"

How could Yuuri be so dense? It was not talking to the maid that made him angry. Well, at least mostly not it.

Of course, he could always tell Yuuri. But he wanted Yuuri to notice it himself. Sometimes, he wished he just let his mother won the party argument, but then he would remember the embarrassment he felt at the surprise party for his fortieth birthday and changed his mind. Still, he really wished Yuuri was paying more attention to him.

Wolfram sighed. 'Fat change it will happen!'

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When Wolfram woke up, there was a brightly wrapped box, decorated with ribbons on the bed.

"What is this?" he asked while his fingers were playing unconsciously with the ribbons.

"Your birthday present, of course," answered Yuuri, grinning. "The maids told me last week that today is your birthday"

Wolfram first thought was 'Finally you learnt that it was only proper to give your fiancé a birthday gift. I hope you picked something suitably appropriate, especially since you gave me nothing last year,' followed closely with 'Why did the maids know my birthday but you were not? What kind of fiancé are you?' and ended with the embarrassing 'I got a present from Yuuri!'

He settled on silent.

"I don't know what you will like, so I enlisted Lady Cheri's help,"

"How can you don't know what I like?" Wolfram fumed again. 'Especially since you seemed to know what everyone else liked.'

Yuuri decided to ignore it. Instead, he said, "She also suggested a party and I thought it was wonderful,"

Wolfram's narrowed eyes said clearly his opinion about that.

"Come on Wolfram, it is just a small party. Don't be a spoil sport!"

"You should know that for my mother there is no small party,"

"I helped plan this one. Come on, Wolfram, it will be fun. Besides, your mother only wants to make you happy. Greta even joined in making the cake, you know. You don't want to disappoint them, do you?" Yuuri cajoled. He hoped Lady Cheri did not have any last minute changed of heart, though.

Wolfram did not expect that. Listening to Yuuri's words, his mind was nailed on the first sentence. Yuuri planned it. First the gift and then Yuuri planned a party for him

He smiled.

Maybe, maybe he was not too old for a birthday party after all.

FIN


End file.
